In 1980, Jimmy Carter signed a law protecting more than 104 million acres of Alaska, locking away 57 million acres as wilderness before large-scale development could reach them

In the final weeks of 1980, one of the most significant conservation decisions in US history was taking shape in Alaska. The move would place vast areas of the state under federal protection, preserving landscapes ranging from forests and rivers to glaciers, mountains and wildlife habitats. According to the National Park Service, on 2 December 1980, US President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), protecting more than 104 million acres of federal land through new or expanded conservation designations. Nearly half of that land, about 57 million acres, was designated as wilderness, while the legislation also created or expanded national parks, wildlife refuges, conservation areas and wild and scenic rivers across Alaska.A decade-long fight over Alaska’s public landsIt was the culmination of years of debate. When Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, disputes over land ownership intensified. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 directed the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw up to 80 million acres of unreserved public land for possible inclusion in new or expanded conservation units. Lawmakers struggled to reach consensus on how those lands should ultimately be managed. In 1978, after the legislation stalled, Carter used the Antiquities Act to proclaim 17 national monuments covering more than 56 million acres in Alaska. The move gave those lands protection while the political dispute continued. The legislation that eventually became ANILCA did not completely prohibit development. Instead, it established different land classifications and protections across Alaska.More than 104 million acres under protectionWhen Carter signed ANILCA, it added an extensive system of protected lands. The National Park Service notes that the act created or added to 13 national parks, 16 wildlife refuges, two national forests, two national monuments, two conservation areas and 26 wild and scenic rivers. In total, ANILCA protected more than 104 million acres in Alaska. The law also had a major effect on the National Park Service, extending its protection to 10 new areas and additions to three existing ones, together adding about 43.6 million acres.One affected area was Wrangell-St. Elias, which Carter had designated as a national monument in 1978 and which ANILCA later turned into a national park and preserve. It now covers approximately 13.2 million acres, making it one of the largest units in the US national park system. ANILCA also created and expanded areas such as Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley and Yukon-Charley Rivers. The wilderness designation was one of the act’s most significant provisions. More than 57 million acres were designated as wilderness, the highest level of federal protection.Protecting wilderness while allowing people to live from the landAccording to the US Department of the Interior, ANILCA recognised the importance of subsistence activities, including hunting, fishing and trapping, to rural communities in Alaska. Federal subsistence rules give rural Alaskans priority access to fish and wildlife on federal public lands. The law also included special provisions allowing forms of access and transportation that are usually restricted in wilderness areas elsewhere in the United States. These provisions reflected the realities of remote Alaska, where communities and traditional activities often depend on aircraft, boats, snowmachines and other transport.As Carter stated at the time, the act came after years of political struggle over how Alaska’s vast public lands should be managed. More than four decades later, its impact can still be seen across the state, where large areas remain protected as parks, refuges and wilderness. ANILCA did not bring an end to development or disagreements over Alaska’s public lands. Instead, it created a long-term framework that allowed conservation, subsistence and other uses to coexist across the state.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.